In information technology jargon, the term crash cart is used to describe an apparatus that can be connected to a server for the purpose of diagnostics and for identifying and correcting malfunctions that may not or cannot be accessed remotely, or are otherwise not responding. Crash carts typically include a keyboard, a mouse and a monitor since many servers in a modern high-density environment do not have user input/output devices. Crash carts may be used to perform maintenance, run diagnostics and deal with malfunctions of servers at locations remote from a central data processing center or from individuals having specialized knowledge regarding the particular unit being serviced.
Computer servers, often use indicator lights to indicate the status of a machine and/or identify a machine needing attention. Indicator lights, particularly in the case of rack mounted units, provide a simple method to identify one of a number of units having a problem and may provide an indication of the type of problem. Server indicator lights on remotely located units typically cannot be observed from the central data processing center.
Often, a technician working at a remote location will want or need to communicate with the central data processing facility for any one of a number of reasons. As used herein, the terms “central,” “local” and “remote” are relative and do not imply any particular physical location. For example, the data processing center may be located in the same building as the remote unit. Alternatively, the remote unit may be located across the country from the data processing center. The technician may be in communication with the central facility via a private network such as a Wide Area Network (WAN), a public network such as the Internet or by phone. In order to facilitate a technician's activities, it may be desirable to have server indicating lights observable from the central facility. Relying only on a camera to transmit server lights to the central facility has several drawbacks; not the least of which is that the technician does not necessarily know what the central facility is seeing. Additionally, since the technician cannot see the image transmitted to the central facility, the technician may have to rely on voice instructions from the central facility to position the camera.